He is the Ajami,[2] the Persian, the ‘Iráqí![3]
Whilst the dwellers in the divine Ark,[4] by the permission of the Holy Mariner, held fast unto one name amongst all names in the ancient Ark[5] and sailed upon the ocean of names, they passed the grades of worldly limitation[6] that perchance, through the felicity[7] and lofty purpose of the Sovereign of Oneness, they mightest reach the shore of divine unity and quaff from the chalice of detachment.[8]
That Ark of Eternity moved by divine assistance, and sailed upon the water of spiritual wisdom until the dwellers thereof reached a station whereat the Name which dwelt therein[9] overtook their course and triumphed. Thence, that Spiritual Ark was stilled and forbidden to move. Whereupon, the firm decree of God descended from the heaven of imperishable holiness, and the Mariner of Eternity was commanded to impart one letter from the concealed Word unto the dwellers in the Ark, so that by the invisible assistance of God, they might traverse the valley of inner bewilderment, enter the delightful realm of divine unity, reach the Qa’f[10] of everlasting life and attain unto the holy presence of the Well-Beloved.[11]
Inasmuch as the dwellers in the Ark[12] attained unto the Word of the mystic[13] Friend, they forthwith stretched out the wings of their spirits[14] and soared in the air of holiness. Through divine grace and blessing, they didst leave behind the pursuit of self and passion[15] and heedless, blind understandings. Whereupon, the breezes of paradise from the realm[16] of the All-Merciful wafted upon their spirits,[17] and after soaring in the air of the nearness of God and traversing the mystical stations, they descended in a state of safety and security, unto the highest abodes of those who loveth Him. The inhabitants thereof thence arose in service and benevolence; the immortal youths[18] and the holy cup-bearer[19] proffered unto them ruby wine. The intoxicating wine of divine knowledge and the cup of eternal wisdom caused such ecstasy and rapture[20] that they transcended the existence of self and all beings and gave their hearts to the beauty of the Beloved.[21]
For centuries and ages, with perfect joy and delight, they dwelt in that pleasant and spiritual realm and that sacred flower garden of the All-Merciful. Whereupon, the breezes and winds of divine tests and difficulties blew from the Sheba of the imperishable Cause. Thence, they busied themselves with the beauty of the cup-bearer and neglected the Immortal Countenance, inasmuch as they imagined the shadow to be the sun, and specters as light. They desired to rise to the exalted heights of the Greatest Name that they might soar in that realm and attain that seat and place. And as they rose, the divine assayers descended upon them with the sacred touchstone and the irresistible Command of God, and forbade admittance unto all, for they inhaled not the fragrance of the mystic Youth. Thus, that which was inscribed upon the Guarded Tablet[22] didst come to pass.
Therefore, O ye that dwell in the domain of divine love and ye that drink the wine of everlasting mercy! Barter not nearness unto the beauty of the Friend for both worlds. Turn not thy gaze away from His Countenance towards the countenance of the cup-bearer, and cast not thy heart from the wine of His knowledge and wisdom unto the dregs of ignorance and heedlessness. The lips are for the mention of the Beloved; defile them not with foul water. The heart is the abode of the immortal mysteries; busy it not with attention unto ephemeral things. Seek not the water of life from the embodiments of satanic fancy, but from the Kawthar[23] of the Beauty of the All-Glorious.
This lowly Youth, in the highest station of love, admonisheth the divine friends unto the wondrous verses of unity and the gems of wisdom of the Eternal King, that perhaps some soul, with courage and honor,[24] mightest arise and emerge from the robe of heedlessness and worldly desire, and, even as the beauty of the illumined Friend, become cleansed, resplendent and sanctified and wander in the land of love, detachment, affection, and loftiness. They should partake, at least, as much from the light of the resplendent brow and the advent of the manifest day so that they may become enabled to unite their outward and inward selves.
We traversed the loftiness of detachment,[25] the exaltation of divine unity, the great purification, and the most great consecration. Now must they make eloquent effort and exalted endeavor that the inward mysteries not oppose the outward deeds, nor the outward deeds turn away from the inward mysteries.
We traversed, expending Our life in the path of the Well-Beloved. Arise ye with justice and equity for the sake of your inner selves. Do ye purpose, in the end, to prefer the garment of greed and selfish desires to the attire of divine consecration? Wilst ye exchange the melody of the Nightingale of Eternity with the dissenting sound of mortality from the people of iniquity and hatred?! Wretched is that which ye exchange![25]
“Verily, we are God’s, and to Him shall we all return.”[26] God willing, We hope that the temples of immortal glory, adorned with the ornament of holiness and divine attributes, may become manifested as brilliant, ethereal, cleansed and pure as the everlasting sun. And verily, this is not difficult for God.[27]
- Baha'u'llah
Notes
[1] Published in Athar-i-Qalam-i-A`lá Vol. 4, pp. 335-341;
Ma`iydih-i-‘Asmaní Vol. 4, pp. 335-41.
Of the circumstances of its revelation and its importance, Taherzadeh writes, in part:
On the occasion of Naw-Rúz 1863, Bahá’u’lláh had pitched His tent in a field on the outskirts of Baghdád, known as the Mazra’iy-i-Vashshash--a place rented by His faithful brother Mírzá Músá. Bahá’u’lláh was celebrating this festival with a number of His companions, who were likewise living in tents in the open countryside. Outings at this time of year when the spring season had just begun and the weather was mild were extremely pleasant, and Bahá’u’lláh always enjoyed nature and beautiful scenery and loved to be in the country....
On the fifth day of Naw-Rúz, the Lawh-i-Malláhu’l-Quds (Tablet of the Holy Mariner) was revealed. Mírzá Áqá Ján, Bahá’u’lláh’s amanuensis, emerged from the tent of Bahá’u’lláh, gathered the believers around him and chanted that mournful Tablet to them. Although during the last year of His sojourn in ‘Iráq He had, on several occasions, alluded to trials and tribulations which were to come, His companions had not felt previously such sadness as they did on that day.
The theme of this Tablet is the story of the Covenant and man's unfaithfulness to it. Its message is applicable not only to the days of Bahá’u’lláh, but also to the ministries of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ and Shoghi Effendi, and indeed to the present time. Concerning this Tablet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ said: “Study the Tablet of the Holy Mariner that ye may know the truth, and consider that the Blessed Beauty hath fully foretold future events. Let them who perceive, take warning!” (British Bahá’í Prayers. These words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s are a preface to the Tablet).
Not only did ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ ask the believers to study this Tablet during His own ministry, when the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh was being violated by the Covenant-breakers, but He urged them shortly before His passing to study it again. For He knew too well that there were a few among His followers who would violate the Covenant and rise up against Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Cause of God.
The Tablet of the Holy Mariner is revealed in symbolic
language. To appreciate it one must acquire for himself a knowledge of the
spiritual verities enshrined within Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings and meditate upon
His words. Although the allegorical terms Bahá’u’lláh has used in this Tablet
assume various meanings, He has nonetheless manifestly foreshadowed coming
events and conveyed some aspects of the Covenant. (Taken from, Taherzadeh,
’Adib. The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh. Vol. 1, pp. 228, 229-230.
(MW’s note, based on the entry for this text in the Leiden List of the Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh)
[2] “Ajami” is an Arabic expression which refers to a “non-Arab” person, specifically a Persian (MG’s note).
[3] “Iraqí” is also translated as “Arabian” in The Tablet of the Holy Mariner (Arabic) (MG’s note).
[4] “Fulk”; “ark, ship, vessel”; this word has no vowel points and I have translated it as the one with the same spelling and no vowel points in the Tablet of the Holy Mariner (Arabic). However, it is spelled the same as another word (FaLak) only with different vowel points, which means; “heaven, sphere, firmament” as in the Persian Hidden Words, no. 8, The Kitáb-i-Íqán, pp. 62 & 186, and Chihár-Vádí (The Four Valleys), p. 1. In fact, both FaLak and Fulk are used in p. 62 of the Kitáb-i-Íqán but they are clearly marked with vowel points in the Persian print of the Kitáb-i-Íqán to distinguish between “heaven” and “Ark”, respectively (MG’s note).
[5] “safinih”; another word for “ark, ship, vessel” (MG’s note).
[6] “maráhil-i-tahdíd”; “manazel attahdíd”, “grades of worldly limitation”; The Tablet of the Holy Mariner (Arabic) (MG’s note).
[7] “bih yomn-i” “by the felicity of”, “by the blessing of” (MG’s note).
[8] “tajríd”; “detachment”; The Kitáb-i-Íqán, p. 33 (MG’s note).
[9] “sákin”; “dweller, dwelling”; The Kitáb-i-Íqán, p. 91. The understanding of this passage has been most difficult. Christopher Buck, in a recent article, has suggested that ism-i-sákin, translated here as “name that dwelt therein” should be rendered “Stagnant Name” and taken as a veiled allusion to Mírzá Yahyá. On this interpretation, Mírzá Yahyá seized control (sabaqat girift) of the Ark and diverted its course (majrá), and this action caused the vessel to be stilled. See Buck, Christopher. “A Symbolic Profile of the Bahá’í Faith”. The Journal of Bahá’í Studies, Vol. 8, no. 4 (Sept.-Dec., 1998) (MG’s note, expanded by MW)
[10] The actual word in the text is “Qáf”: which in Persian mythology, literature, and mysticism “Kúh-i-Qáf” (Mount Qáf) or simply “Qáf” is the abode of the immortal Simorgh (phoenix); Shoghi Effendi translated it as “mount” in the Persian hidden words no. 1 (MG’s note).
[11] “jánán”; “Well-Beloved”; Persian Hidden Words, no. 1 (MG’s note).
[12] “kashti”; “ark”; another word for “ship, ark, vessel” (MG’s note).
[13] “manavy”; “mystic”; Persian Hidden Words , no. 16 (MG’s note).
[14] “par-i-maní goshodand”; is a an expression. See The Persian Hidden Words, no. 79 (MG’s note).
[15] “nafs va hawa'”; “self and passion”; The Tablet of the Holy Mariner (Arabic) (MG’s note).
[16] “makman”: “realm”; The Tablet of the Holy Mariner (Arabic).
[17] “hayákil”; “spirits”; The Tablet of the Holy Mariner (Arabic) (MG’s note).
[18] “gholámán”; “youths”; see “youth” in The Tablet of the Holy Mariner (Arabic) (MG’s note).
[19] “sághi”; “Cupbearer”; Persian Hidden Words, no. 59 (MG’s note).
[20] “Jazb va Valah”; “ecstacy and rapture”; The Kitáb-i-Íqán, p. 195 (MG’s note).
[21] “jamál-i-Dust”; “beauty of the Beloved”; Persian Hidden Words, no. 82 (MG’s note).
[22] “Lawh-i-Mahfuz”; “Guarded Tablet”; The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, 79, 97. The Kitáb-i-Íqán, p. 223 (MG’s note).
[23] “Kawthar”; The Kitáb-i-Íqán, p. 27. Also “the river of everlasting life”; Persian Hidden Words , no. 37 (MG’s note).
[24] “ghad-i-mard-i-va marda’negi alam nama’yad”; Persian colloquialism which literally means to erect one’s posture as if to stand tall and show manliness (i.e. to arise and show courage and honor in the face of a challenge) (MG’s note).
[25] Compare to the Kitáb-i-Íqán, p. 116 (MG’s note).
[26] Qur’án: Al-Baqarah(2): 156 (2:151 in J.M. Rodwell translation) (MG’s note).
[27] Compare to Qur’án: Ibrahim(14): 20. (MG’s note)